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Europe's Debt Crisis & Your Money; U.S., Iraqi Troops Honored; Obama, Clinton, and Bush Mark World AIDS Day; Central Banks Give Deal To ECB; Penn State Hit With Sandusky Lawsuit

Aired December 01, 2011 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Live from Studio 7, I'm Suzanne Malveaux.

Want to get you up to speed for this Thursday, December 1st.

We'll begin with your money and the markets. Investors catching their breath today after the Dow's biggest gain since 2009. That is right. They're watching the debt crisis in Europe and the new economic reports that are here at home.

Now, the Dow was down 25 points just after the opening bell. Right now, it is down by 34 points. We're going to go live to the New York Stock Exchange in just a few minutes.

Well, 30 years, 30 million funerals. But now there is new hope. It is World AIDS Day, and everyone from U.S. presidents to rock superstars, they are talking about the ongoing fight to end this epidemic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Make no mistake, we are going to win this fight. But the fight's not over, not by a long shot. The rate of new infections may be going down elsewhere, but it's not going down here in America. The infection rate here has been holding steady for over a decade.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: So what is next for the battle against AIDS? We're going to take a look at the latest medical advancements. I'm going to talk to U-2 front man Bono about the possibility of a generation without AIDS within three years. That interview's coming up in the next hour of NEWSROOM.

Well, the lawyer for Jerry Sandusky, the former Penn State defensive coach, says the time may come when his client has to think about a plea deal. That's right, Joe Amendola says that a plea could happen if more people come forward claiming that Sandusky molested them.

He told CNN contributor Sara Ganim that such a scenario could make this case an uphill battle.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SARA GANIM, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: What is the point where you say maybe we should talk about a plea deal? And are you already having those conversations with the AG's office?

JOE AMENDOLA, JERRY SANDUSKY'S DEFENSE ATTORNEY: No, we haven't. And as a matter of fact, you know from your experience, Sara, that people who maintain their innocence sometimes plead guilty just because of the overwhelming evidence against them. And there have been many people who have gone to trial who were convicted of very serious crimes, including homicides, and executed, and it later turned out that they were innocent.

So, there's a lot of reasons why people decide to do certain things, but at this point, Jerry has maintained his innocence in regard to the allegations he knows about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Well, Penn State students, they are voicing their concerns, discuss, embarrassment about the scandal that has engulfed the campus. They got a chance to ask some questions at a town hall last night with the university's leaders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sandusky was part of the Penn State family. We all are. And I feel shame.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Jerry Sandusky's preliminary hearing is set for December 13th. At least one of the alleged victims will have to testify.

Well, a month before American troops pull out of Iraq, they're being honored for their service and sacrifices over the last eight-and-a- half years.

Vice President Joe Biden and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki paid tribute to troops from both countries today at a ceremony in Baghdad. It took place at the palace that once belonged to Saddam Hussein. Eleven thousand American troops are still in Iraq. Most of them will be gone by the end of the year.

In Afghanistan, an update on a case that has sparked an international outcry, an outrage, if you will. President Hamid Karzai says a woman who is in prison for being raped can go home or she can stay in prison for her safety.

So this woman, she was sentenced for 12 years for adultery after she reported that a relative raped her. She is now raising her daughter behind bars. Afghanistan's justice minister is supposed to meet today with the woman and her attacker to find out if she's going to agree to marry him.

Evangelist Billy Graham is in a hospital in North Carolina. That is where doctors are checking him for signs of pneumonia. He was admitted yesterday.

Now, Graham turned 93 just last month. And as you know, he has counseled presidents from Harry Truman to Barack Obama.

Lots of kids in San Francisco, they're going to open up the McDonald's Happy Meals today. What do you think is going to happen? They might not be all that happy.

Starting today, the city is banning toys and trinkets in the kids' meals that don't meet certain nutritional guidelines. Now, McDonald's has now found a loophole. Parents can ask for a toy to be included for just a dime. We'll see how that goes.

And you might not think the European debt crisis has much to do with your finances, but it actually affects whether American companies have money to hire you, whether your small business can get a loan, and what happens with the stock market and your retirement investments. So we're keeping a close eye on the stocks as well, yesterday's huge rally. We're following the latest developments in Europe.

I want to bring in Richard Quest, who joins us from London, and Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange, as always.

Richard, want to start off with you.

So, yesterday, explain this. We saw the markets soar after the Fed and the central banks in Europe acted together to keep this money flowing. So, some folks are saying it's just a Band-Aid. What are the long-term solutions?

RICHARD QUEST, HOST, "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS": Don't think of it as a Band-Aid. Think of it more as being oil and grease to lubricate the wheels and the sprockets and the spokes of the global financial system. That's what they were doing yesterday, making sure things don't clog up.

The U.S. had some very good employment numbers yesterday. Today, there are extremely good manufacturing numbers, construction numbers. Alison will go through those in a moment.

But, look, you and I here, right this time, I said an inch thick, a mile wide, and it's evaporated already. And the reason is because nothing has fundamentally changed, at least on this side of the Atlantic, until we get to December the 9th, next week, nine days before they have to decide what they're going to do about the euro -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: So what do we know about the future of the euro? Nothing yet?

QUEST: We know that they have to decide how they are going to ring- fence (ph) those countries like Italy and Greece, and those that are in trouble, those that have been bailed out already. We know they have to decide, will they let the ECB, the European equivalent of the Fed, will they let it become much more aggressive in dealing with this problem? And we know they have to start rebuilding the house, unification.

They have to make a united Europe for economies. That is the agenda.

But, you know, I've rattled it off in 40 seconds. We might as well be on the moon, because some of the parties are so far apart, and the differences in political troubles are so deep, that I promise you, fasten your seatbelts for the next nine days. This is going to get bumpy.

MALVEAUX: All right. We're going to fasten our seatbelts.

I want to go to Alison next.

Alison, we saw the stocks. They shot up about four percent across the board yesterday.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

MALVEAUX: But after some of these rallies, there are usually some big falls as well. What is happening today?

KOSIK: And exactly. You make a good point there, Suzanne.

You know what? It's good that we're not seeing a sell-off today. The Dow, down only about 25 points.

A lot of people down here at the New York Stock Exchange were all joking around, oh, gosh, all these gains from yesterday are going to be gone tomorrow. Clearly, we're not seeing all those gains gone, because that is something that you often see after a huge run-up in stocks where the Dow rose almost 500 points. So what it really shows is that Wall Street likes the support that the central banks are offering, and what it essentially shows is that there's more confidence that the plan could actually work in the short term.

But as Richard talked about, this crisis in Europe, it's far from over. And, in fact, we're getting more signs that it's spreading.

It's hitting China. Manufacturing in China hit a two-and-a-half-year low. So, clearly, Europe's problems hitting China because it's one of China's biggest trading partners. But at this point, Wall Street still kind of clinging to that relief rally from yesterday, even though we're seeing some losses today on the hopes that this will sort of buy Europe some time to try to get its house in order -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right.

Alison, Richard, thank you.

Here's a rundown of some of the stories that we are covering this hour.

First, American troops, they're packing up, paying tribute in Iraq.

Then, the possibility of a plea deal in the scandal surrounding Penn State. And a Sheriff of the Year ends up in the slammer. Well, awkward. Get this -- his name is on the jail.

And China is building a tunnel so long, it would stretch from Miami to Seattle.

And the rock star Bono on a different kind of stage today. His focus, the end of AIDS. We're going to talk to him live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Today, a tribute for American and Iraqi troops. They're being honored for helping move Iraq from dictatorship to an inspiring democracy.

Our CNN's Martin Savidge, he's live in the Iraqi capital.

Martin, tell us a little bit about today's ceremony in Baghdad. This comes just a month before all American troops are supposed to leave.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. And this is really probably the beginning of a number of ceremonies that are going to take them, all of them significant, all of them important, marking the drawdown of U.S. forces and the end of nine years of war.

What was really unique about this one was that it was jointly held by both the Iraqi government and the U.S. military, and it was designed to be that way to salute not only the U.S. forces, those that have made the ultimate sacrifice and died here, but those that have also committed their lives to being and serving here. And then the Iraqis as well.

So, you had both representatives in government. You had the prime minister of Iraq, you had the vice president, Joe Biden, and they all had a common thing. And that basically was this: that this, of course, is the end of the military presence for the United States, but it is by no means the end of the relationship.

In fact, it's a new chapter. It's a new beginning. That was a common theme you heard. The U.S. will continue to be very present, very strong here in Iraq, and the Iraqi government, apparently, would like it that way in cooperation -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Martin, how confident are they? I know this is somewhat of a tribute here, but how confident are they that once American troops leave Iraq, that there will be stability, that the Iraqis themselves will be able to take care of their own security and still move forward for a democratic government?

SAVIDGE: You know, there is a great deal of concern. If you talk to people on the street, that is probably the number one fear that they have, that the United States, of course, many are happy to see the occupying force, the U.S. presence, off the streets, but they do worry that without that security of having the U.S. there as a kind of moderator here, there could be problems with the revival of sectarian violence, with the revival of ethnic divides that exist in this country, and them, of course, perhaps some infiltration coming from Iran.

So, that is the real concern, that when you talk to people, they fear that without the United States here militarily, you could begin to see this nation start to come unglued. And that's why again in the speeches that were made today, it was talking about this is a great day for all Iraqis, regardless of what faith or regardless of what ethnicity you may hold -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right.

Martin Savidge, we will pay close attention and watch what happens in Iraq once those American troops leave. Thank you very much, Martin.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Want to take a quick look at the markets here. The Dow Jones, now down by 50 points or so. We're going to keep watching that, bring that to you live.

We have seen how the debt crisis in Europe can affect the stock market and your retirement, other investments as well. We've talked about how it can affect jobs and businesses.

So what exactly are central banks here and in Europe doing to deal with the crisis?

Christine Romans of our Money team, she's going to break that down for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: What are the world central banks doing? It's complicated. Really complicated.

They're doing what politicians can't or won't do. They're making sure that there's money flowing between Europe's banks. They're lowering prices on dollar liquidity swaps.

What's a swap? A swap is when the Fed provides dollars to a foreign central bank and then gets foreign currency in return. Those swaps and arrangements like them are the lifeblood of short-term operations for banks.

Why now? Because those swaps between the banks were getting more expensive. And a credit freeze was looking more and more likely.

Since May, the cost for European banks to borrow dollars from our European banks has been skyrocketing. It's been more expensive to get access to dollar funding. And now it's at levels not seen since Lehman Brothers collapsed in late 2008.

It's causing a lot of concern in global markets. We all remember what happened after Lehman Brothers collapsed -- a credit freeze that closed factories, killed business, and wiped out millions of jobs around the world. So, the Federal Reserve here in the U.S., the central banks of England, Japan, Switzerland and Canada, they want to keep the money flowing so that households can borrow, companies can pay their bills, and you can get paid at work.

You know, another player in here in a separate move was China. China loosened bank rules there to keep money flowing as well at about the same time the ECB and the Fed and all these central banks around the world announced their move. So, some are wondering if all of this is a worldwide coordinated effort to keep Europe afloat here.

Now, all this is good news, of course, a very positive action in a still pretty negative and dangerous situation in the credit markets. The underlying problems are still there, make no mistake.

Those problems are an escalating sovereign debt crisis in Europe. That threatens to tear apart the eurozone. Europe basically is still on the brink, and there's pretty much very little time to fix it before borrowing costs rise more, the credit markets potentially lock up. Then you'd have stock markets buckling, and companies couldn't get funding to do anything.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: So, the world economy has certainly been a big story this year. 2011 has been a year of nonstop breaking news. And CNN has covered all of it.

Go to CNN.com/topstories to cast your vote for the Top Ten Stories of 2011. And then join us on December 30th. Find out whether or not your picks actually made the final cut, as NEWSROOM and CNN.com are going to unveil the Top Ten Stories of the Year.

Well, he's not just a rock star. He's an activist leading the fight against AIDS. I'm going to talk to U-2's front man, Bono, live about his ONE Campaign and what it's going to take to make HIV/AIDS history.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Here's a look at what's ahead "On the Rundown."

Next, three presidents and one of the biggest rock stars in the world, U2's Bono, they're focus, the beginning of the end of AIDS. I'm going to be talking to Bono.

Then, the possibility of a plea deal in the scandal surrounding Penn State.

And later, a new worry for the Pentagon -- tunnels -- very long, secret tunnels.

Well, three decades ago it was a death sentence, but now there is new hope and a new mission to create an AIDS-free generation by the year 2015. That is the goal of rock star/philanthropist Bono and his ONE Campaign. They are pushing that today on World AIDS Day.

I want to go to Elizabeth Cohen, who is joining us to talk about the fight against AIDS.

And Elizabeth, a lot of people think, what's new here? We know all there is to know about this disease. Are there new treatments? Are there new ways of actually detecting this disease?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: What's interesting and actually perhaps a bit sad, too, is that there aren't new ways. The old ways, old 1996 ways, the drugs, actually work very well, but the problem is, is that they have not controlled HIV as much as we had hoped back in 1996 when the drugs came out. There was this great hope that we were going to see the beginning of the end of HIV.

MALVEAUX: Right. Sure.

COHEN: And there was a report out from the CDC just this week that said, you know what? We're really not seeing that as we would hope, even in this country, where you'd think we have plenty of resources.

MALVEAUX: So what does that mean, this AIDS-free generation in three years? What are they talking about? What kind of goal is that?

COHEN: Right. We heard Bono talking about that at that conference that was moderated by my friend Sanjay Gupta. You saw that there.

And so what he's saying is, let's try to see the beginning of the end of AIDS in 2015. And let's start by stopping maternal-to-child transmission of HIV.

And Suzanne, I've talked to so many public health folks who are so frustrated by this, because we know how to stop HIV from being transmitted from a mother to her baby when she's pregnant. And what that means, that the mom needs to go on these drugs. And then after the baby is born, she should not breast feed.

But it hasn't stopped, because we don't have enough access to these drugs. There aren't enough moms with enough access. And because, also, these breast feeding messages have not gotten out, especially in other parts of the world.

MALVEAUX: So that's a very ambitious goal when you think about it, to try to accomplish that in three years.

COHEN: It is an ambitious goal, but if you start there, if you start with, let's focus in on those moms, make sure that those moms are taking these drugs, and make sure that they don't breast feed, that's a great start, because then you would have a generation of kids born without HIV. And then you need to make sure they don't contract HIV as they get older.

MALVEAUX: Right.

And we know this is a worldwide problem, but give us a sense of here, in the United States. What is the threat of AIDS, HIV now?

COHEN: Fifteen years ago, the hope was that it wouldn't be much of a threat, that people would take these drugs and that people would be fine. The problem is, is that we don't have HIV under control in this country. And I'm going to show you some numbers that explain why not, Suzanne.

For every 100 people living with HIV in this country, only 80 are aware of their infection. Twenty don't even know that they have HIV.

And then take that 80 number, only 62 out of 80 are linked to HIV care. And only 41 are staying in HIV care.

And Suzanne, you see where I'm heading. This number is getting smaller and smaller.

MALVEAUX: Right.

COHEN: Out of those 41 who are getting good HIV care, only 36 are getting the antiretroviral therapy, perhaps because they can't afford it. And then, out of those 36, only 28 have a very low amount of virus in their body. So, you start out with 100 people who have HIV, only 28 are controlling the amount of virus in their body, which is important not just for the person with HIV, but if you have a high amount of virus in your body, much bigger likelihood you're going to transmit it to someone else.

MALVEAUX: And talk a little bit about the generation gap here, because 20 years ago, I mean, all of us knew somebody, practically, that knew somebody who was HIV positive or had AIDS. Do young people now -- do they understand? Do they still understand the threat today?

COHEN: You know, I don't think they do. I mean, if I use myself as an example, I was in college in the mid '80s. Sadly, I had a cousin very dear to me who passed away from AIDS at that time. So I had a personal experience with it, many people who I knew also had a personal experience.

And in college, people were nervous about this.

MALVEAUX: Absolutely.

COHEN: People talked about getting tested for HIV. People talked about using condoms.

From young people I talk to today, it's not in the forefront of their minds. They don't have a cousin who died of HIV, they don't have friends who died. And so they don't think of it as much. So, they are probably not using condoms as much, and they're not getting tested.

And, Suzanne, that testing part is so crucial. If you don't know that you have HIV, you can't protect yourself and you can't protect others.

MALVEAUX: That's such a good message. And obviously this is such an important day, but it's a message that you've got to carry out every single day.

COHEN: Right, because those of us who are in your mid-40s or older, we think, oh, everyone knows about HIV, everyone knows to practice safe sex. It doesn't seem to be true. MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, Elizabeth.

COHEN: Thanks.

MALVEAUX: Really appreciate it.

We're waiting now to hear from former President Bill Clinton. He'll be speaking on World AIDS Day. Also scheduled to speak, former President George W. Bush, President Obama, a star-studded list of celebrities. The address from Clinton is scheduled to begin in about 15 minutes or so.

Three decades, 30 million funerals, that's what we're talking about here. AIDS has been a worldwide crisis. It has hit poor countries the hardest. Here's a look at some of the global impact.

Our Robyn Curnow reports from South Africa.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mobosan's (ph) daughter is sick with HIV. She will need to begin treatment.

MOBOSAN (ph), DAUGHTER HAS HIV: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

CURNOW: "It shook me," she tells us. "I looked at my daughter. She's so young. She's still too young."

Here in Nasutu (ph), nearly every two of its two million people are infected with HIV/AIDS. More than one in four are infected with the virus in a small mountain kingdom.

Mobosan (ph) brought her daughter here because it was the closest clinic to the village. It was a 1.5 hour journey through steep, rocky terrain.

EUNICE YOON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Eunice Yoon, in Beijing. Here in China, a country of 1.3 billion people, there are 780,000 reported cases of AIDS. The proportion is small, but the number is rising. With some of the most vulnerable people in a group that has been considered immune to the disease, the elderly.

Because of medical advances, people here have been living longer and staying sexually active. But the abundance of cheap commercial sex at an average price of about $5 a visit, and the lack of education about safe sex among the older generation, has put senior citizens here at risk. In fact, 15 percent of all new cases are of people 50 or older.

The government says that it's now targeting the elderly in its public awareness campaigns, but activists say that health officials need to do more. They say older patients face greater discrimination from their younger counterparts because senior citizens are seen as the most respected members of Chinese society. And the stigma of AIDS brings great shame upon the family.

(END VIDEOTAPE) MALVEAUX: U2's Bono is not just a rock star. He's also one of the best known humanitarians and the face of the ONE campaign. It's a grassroots organization that's been fighting HIV/AIDS for almost a decade.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BONO, U2 BAND MEMBER: 2.5 million people will die next year. 2.5 million Africans will die of AIDS next year because they don't have the medicines that we take for granted in the West. This is a war. These are our casualties. If these people were not African, if they were not black, do you think we would let them die? No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: You're looking at live pictures of Bono. I'm going to be speaking to him in the next hour of "CNN NEWSROOM."

Penn State students get to air the concerns about the child sex abuse scandal. And Jerry Sandusky's lawyer is floating the possibility now of a plea deal. I'm going to talk to a legal expert about that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: So new questions are being asked about the size of China's nuclear arsenal after a study claims to have found thousands of miles of tunnels capable of hiding thousands of nuclear missiles.

Chris Lawrence has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(MUSIC)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): While the Chinese were building these tunnels, a Georgetown professor was digging into China.

DR. PHILLIP KARBER, PROFESSOR, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: The students downloaded 200 hours of Chinese video.

LAWRENCE: Dr. Phillip Karber and his team of students have produced the world's largest report on China's tunnels. China admits they were dug by a secretive branch of its military responsible for deploying ballistic missiles and nuclear warheads.

KARBER: They had 3,000 miles of these tunnels.

LAWRENCE (on camera): Can you put that in any perspective?

KARBER: Imagine a tunnel 30 feet by 20 feet high running from Nova Scotia to Tijuana.

LAWRENCE (voice-over): Karber is a former Pentagon strategist who used to look for weaknesses in the old Soviet Union. Based on the size of these tunnels, he says China could have as many as 3,000 nuclear warheads. LAICIE OLSON, SENIOR POLICY ANALYST, CENTER FOR AMY CONTROL & NON- PROLIFERATION: The problem with the study and the way that it comes to this estimate is that the students and their professor make the assumption that because China is working on this system of underground tunnels, this must automatically mean that they have a far -- they're working on new nuclear weapons.

LAWRENCE: Policy analyst, Laicie Olson, and others working on arms control, question the Georgetown team's methods. Olson says suggesting China has 3,000 weapons is a huge jump from the current estimate of a few hundred warheads. It could lead rival Asian nations to start an arms race.

OLSON: These all lead us to estimates that could potentially impact foreign policy in a very negative way.

LAWRENCE: But students who saw through 2,000 hours of video and translated more than a million words disagree.

NICK YAROSH, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY STUDENT: Seeing hundreds of thousands of Chinese men who worked to build these things and hearing the stories is another and seeing how much effort they put into this is another issue. It shows how important it is to the Chinese military.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They may provoke an arms race even unintentionally.

LAWRENCE (on camera): Well, no matter how many weapons you believe they have, the team's research did reveal fascinating revelations, including how China used disguised rail cars to transport of its long- range missiles in secret.

Chris Lawrence, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: So we've got a new twist in the Penn State child molestation case today. Jerry Sandusky's attorney is raising the possibility that his client may consider a plea deal.

I want to talk to Jean Casarez, a correspondent for "In Session" on Tru-TV.

Jean, explain to us -- I understand he's releasing a statement, the attorney here, saying he didn't go that far about considering a plea deal. What's the real story here?

JEAN CASAREZ, CORRESPONDENT, IN SESSION: He is. We've just got this in our hand. It is from Joe Amendola, who is representing Jerry Sandusky. He's saying that, in no way, did he say during an interview yesterday that he is considering a plea deal. He said that a question was posed to him. That's exactly what happened, because a question was posed to him in regard to, if there are more and more alleged victims that keep coming forward, would you consider a plea deal? Would you go in that direction? The response was really that people do things for different reasons. Sometimes people who are very, very innocent will plead guilty or accept a plea deal if it is in the best interest of the situation. Obviously, though, he left the door open in that interview about a plea deal, and he is the one that even said the words yesterday, "If we would plead guilty." Those words did come out of Joe Amendola's mouth.

MALVEAUX: Tell us a little bit about the boy, who is now a young man, known as victim number two, that the attorney has talked about in the grand jury report.

CASAREZ: This is extremely interesting because there are eight alleged victims in the grand jury report. Joe Amendola, yesterday, during this interview, really cited that half of them have a continuing relationship with Jerry Sandusky. There is a friendship. There's a good relationship. There is communication. Alleged victim number two was never a victim of sexual molestation at the hands of Jerry Sandusky.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE AMENDOLA, JERRY SANDUSKY'S DEFENSE ATTORNEY: The bottom line remains that Jerry has always maintained his innocence from the outset of the first allegations. He continues to maintain his innocence. Now, again, what happens with any additional charges which may be filed, as of yet haven't -- remains to be seen.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: You're looking at maybe a dozen, maybe more. What is the point where you say maybe we should talk about a plea deal? Are you already having those conversations with the A.G.'s office?

AMENDOLA: No, we haven't. As a matter of fact, from your experience you know, Sarah, that people who maintain their innocence sometimes plead guilty because of the overwhelming evidence against them. There have been many people who have gone to trial who are convicted of very serious crimes, including homicides, and executed, and it later turned out later that they were innocent. There's a lot of reasons people decide to do certain things. At this point, Jerry has maintained his innocence in regard to the allegations he knows about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Let's look at the other side of this in regard to Jerry Sandusky being friends. Several of the alleged victims going out to dinner with he and his wife this last summer. In the grand jury presentment, the document, one of the documents it cites that a day before he was to testify before the grand jury, that there were phone calls to him from Jerry Sandusky and his wife.

Also, Suzanne, with this brand new civil suit, the very first civil suit that's been filed, it is alleged in that that Jerry Sandusky threatened alleged victim. John Doe A, by saying, if you ever tell anyone what is happening, I will harm your family.

MALVEAUX: Wow. And, Jean, we know the first civil lawsuit against Penn State and Sandusky has been filed. What do we know from the paperwork filed in the courthouse? What have we learned? CASAREZ: The filing is extensive. It's 26 pages long. The first civil suit, it alleges that this young man, now 29 years old, was molested more than 100 times during a four-year period, 1992 to 1996. That would be chronologically the oldest allegations of sexual molestation at the hands of Jerry Sandusky. There are eight counts altogether. Some we would expect, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress. But count number eight is the most interesting, I think, civil conspiracy to endanger children. That is going toward officials at Penn State University and the Second Mile organization.

MALVEAUX: Jean, thank you. Excellent reporting.

Penn State's leadership is telling students they're not going to be defined by this scandal. Students were able to air their concerns last night at a forum. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT: My concern here is, how do you define integrity when you still have a coach who's on board who clearly lied with his grand jury presentment and what he has recently said?

MADLYN HAYNES, VICE PRESIDENT, PENN STATE UNIVERSITY COMMONWEALTH CAMPUSES: These horrific allegations and the events surrounding them do not define you. Remember that. They do not define you. And I would hope and I would submit to you that we should emerge from this more compassionate.

TERRELL JONES, VICE-PROVOST FOR EDUCATION EQUITY: It's very important that we learn to question authority and, in many cases, being here and being part of this experience might actually make you a better human being.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Penn State administrators say employer attendance at the school's job fairs show that there is no sign of a downward trend.

Well, the presidents and the rock star, Bono, from U2, is pushing the world's power brokers to take action against AIDS and HIV.

(SINGING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Newt Gingrich is learning if you're the candidate with momentum, you're also the target. The latest attack is coming Republican rival, Ron Paul.

Joe Johns is live from the political desk in D.C.

So tell us about this new online ad that is now accusing Gingrich of serial hypocrisy.

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Yes, strong words.

MALVEAUX: Yes.

JOHNS: This is a tough ad, Suzanne. Just flat-out blasting Newt Gingrich using his own words at times, pointing out he's taken contradictory political stances. He's a Washington insider. It looks like the kind of thing Democrats would throw at Gingrich should he become the nominee. Though it's the product of the campaign of Ron Paul. Take a look.

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NEWT GINGRICH, (R), FORMER SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If you want to put people in jail, let's look at the politicians who created the environment, the politicians who profited from the environment -- politicians who profited from the environment.

UNIDENTIFIED ANCHOR: Newt Gingrich on the defense taking $1.5 million.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: After he left Congress, Freddie Mac paid Newt Gingrich $1.6 million.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: $1.6 million, some of it just before the housing market collapsed.

UNIDENTIFIED ANCHOR: Newt Gingrich can ridicule Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac publicly, while privately pocketing millions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's hard core lobbying and that's what Newt Gingrich was doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: Whew. 2.5 minutes long, got the grainy, discolored video, all the drama, a bit of everything in there. Shifting positions on health care, the $1.6 million Gingrich took for consulting for Freddie Mac. It talks about the commercial Gingrich did with Nancy Pelosi, who is not one of the most popular people in the conservative movement.

Gingrich has said that ad was one of the dumbest things he ever did. He did it to show conservatives he cares about the environment. But, yes, that is something interesting for Republicans to look at in this primary race now.

MALVEAUX: Yes, absolutely. Something also interesting that struck us, Joe, Michele Bachmann now discussing possible running mates, right? The V.P. wish list?

JOHNS: Yes. Well, it sure sounds presumptuous.

MALVEAUX: Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

JOHNS: When there hasn't been a single vote cast. This is not a candidate who's exactly in the top tier. She is talking about who she would like to see the number-two person on the ticket. It's actually, when you think about it, Suzanne, a very relevant question because people want to know who the candidate sees as a running mate. Michele Bachmann's choices aren't surprising. She says likes Rick Santorum, another Republican running for president.

He's very conservative. Though she also says she could see him as attorney general because she thinks he's good on legal issues. She likes businessman Donald Trump. We know she likes businessman Donald Trump because she's had four meetings with him so far.

She has also talked about Senator Jim DeMint, of South Carolina, a very natural choice. He's something of a Tea Party kingmaker, if you will. She's named one guy who's on just about everybody's pre-season list as a possible V.P. contender -- that would be Marco Rubio, the Republican Senator from Florida. So, short list there. Long way to go before she gets to make that choice.

(LAUGHTER)

MALVEAUX: Yes, they might be competing over those V.P. wish lists there.

All right, Joe, thanks.

JOHNS: I would think.

MALVEAUX: OK.

For the latest political news, you know where to go, CNNpolitics.com.

He's not just a rock star. He is an activist leading the fight against AIDS. I'm talking to U2's front man, Bono, live, about his ONE campaign and what it is going to take to make HIV/AIDS history.

(SINGING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Check the news across country.

A bizarre plane crash at Seattle's Boeing field Wednesday night. Shortly after takeoff, this plane crashed into a parked aircraft, caught fire and flipped over. CNN affiliate, KIRO, says the flight instructor and student on-board escaped with minor injuries.

On to Georgia, where 103-year-old Bina Hall and her 83-year-old daughter were supposed to be evicted from their home on Tuesday. Sheriff's deputies and movers refused to kick them out after. Outrage from the community, the bank says they no longer plan to evict the women.

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CROWD: Two, one --

(CHEERING) (END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Cool stuff, magical even. A moment in New York City last night, the annual lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. The Norway spruce sparkles 30,000 lights, five miles of wire, topped off with a crystal star. Isn't it pretty?

So what would bring three presidents and Bono together? An AIDS-free generation by 2015. That's right. Within three years, they would like to stop mothers from transmitting the disease to their babies. So is that even possible? Well, we're going to ask Bono himself when I interview him on the next hour, along with our very own Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

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MALVEAUX: So anything can happen on live television. We all realize that. NBC anchor, Brian Williams, found it out the other night as well, when a fire alarm went off, continued for most of the "Nightly News" cast. So it got us thinking about some other alarming TV moments.

Here's Jeanne Moos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): No cause for alarm.

MITT ROMNEY, (R), FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Uh-oh.

MOOS: Fire alarms go off everywhere, from the U.N. -- to church.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No play --

MOOS: But the one that went off at the beginning of the "NBC Nightly News" made news.

BRIAN WILLIAMS, NBC NEWS ANCHOR: For all the bankruptcies we've covered in this grim U.S. economy, this one gets your attention. You'll forgive us.

MOOS: The alarm was unforgiving.

WILLIAMS: Well, perhaps not something special anymore.

MOOS: It went on.

WILLIAMS: Andrea, thanks.

That fire alarm, we assured everybody has been given the all-clear, is back on.

MOOS: And on and on.

WILLIAMS: Thanks for bearing with us here.

MOOS: Not totally stopping until about 23 minutes in the newscast.

WILLIAMS: We continue to be under no danger. It is just clearing the electronics.

MOOS: But poor Brian Williams is not alone.

UNIDENTIFIED ANCHOR: Especially in some already close races here in the northeast. The fire alarm.

UNIDENTIFIED ANCHOR: That's the fire alarm.

MOOS: The fire alarm has been alarming anchors regularly.

UNIDENTIFIED ANCHOR: Trying to sneak into the U.S., now facing --

CONNIE CHUNG, CNN ANCHOR: How they reached -- oh, my goodness.

MOOS: Connie Chung was tortured by one during her very first show at CNN.

CHUNG: Uh, oh, there it goes again.

MOOS (on camera): There is one sure-fire TV strategy for when the fire alarm goes off, when you're live on the air -- go to break!

(voice-over): Though even that --

WILLIAMS: We'll take a break. We'll be right back.

MOOS: -- didn't help Brian Williams. In his case, workers changing ventilation filters in the new studio triggered the alarm. But sometimes it is the real thing.

UNIDENTIFIED ANCHOR: Florida became the first state to allow citizens -- excuse me, we're having some technical problems in the studio. Let me try to get through this while we figure out what to do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have to go to a break, guys. We have a fire in the studio.

(CROSSTALK)

MOOS: Abandon set. The popped light was shooting sparks.

(on camera): The award for best impersonation of a fire warden goes to -- calling Shep Smith of FOX News.

SHEPARD SMITH, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: There's never had a fire here. But they go off. In a minute, some dude like on the 50th floor will come on and he'll go, hello, this is the fire warden, nothing has happened.

(LAUGHTER)

There's a lady stuck in the toilet on the 31st floor. MOOS (voice-over): The prize for most Zen reaction goes to Stevie Wonder.

STEVIE WONDER, SINGER: I'm trying to figure out a new melody.

(LAUGHTER)

(SINGING)

MOOS: Alarm.

Jeanne Moos, CNN --

(on camera): Go to break!

SMITH: There may be a fire on this floor.

(LAUGHTER)

Next.

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